FAREWELL! UPDF to send home 17 Generals

Gen. David Tinyefuza Sejusa(L) and Lt Gen Ivan Koreta (R) are set to be retired as UPDF sends home 17 Army officers (FILE PHOTO)

BOMBO – The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) will July next year send home 17 generals in a new military shakeup that will also see former Coordinator of Intelligence Services Gen David Sejusa finally retire.

This was revealed by the Deputy UPDF spokesperson, Lt Col Deo Akiiki, who also confirmed that Gen Sejusa is one of the retirees.

Gen Sejusa has had running battles with government and on several occasions tried to retire from the army but his application was rejected by the UPDF leadership.

He had fled to exile in London for about two years before he returned in December 2014.

Lt. Col. Akiiki however, insisted that everyone in the batch including Gen Sejusa will retire under the normal discharge schedule of the UPDF.

“It’s our usual retirement, well-laid out retirement schedule for every officer,” he said adding that retirement is based on age, rank and years of service.

This is the biggest retirement of senior officers above the rank of brigadier in a single batch since 1986.

According to the army, the soldiers’ careers evolve into a number of stages, including recruitment, training and retraining, deployment and redeployment, appointments, transfers and placements, retirement and discharge and recall into service when necessary.

Lt Gen Joram Mugume accompanied by his wife after he was decorated in May 2016 (FILE PHOTO)

Other senior officers on the retiring alongside Gen Sejusa include Lt Gen Ivan Koreta, the army representative in Parliament; Maj Gen Nathan Mugisha, Uganda’s deputy ambassador to Somalia, Maj Gen Sam Turyagyenda, former commander of Air Force and Lt Gen Joram Mugume, the head of Ministry of Defence Land Board.

The lists also includes: Brig Ramadan Kyamulesire, the longest-serving UPDF Chief of Legal Services; Brig Timothy Sabiiti Mutebile, the Chief of UPDF Engineering and Construction; Brig Charles Angulo Wacha, the UPDF Director of Human Rights; Brig Sam Kakuru, the Deputy Chief of Personnel and Administration.

Others are Brig Mathew Ssewankambo; Brig. Jimmy Wills Byarugaba; Brig Sam Wasswa Mutesasira; Brig Gyagenda Kibirango; Brig Tom Tumuhairwe; Ambrose Musinguzi; Brig Mulondo and Brig John Mulindwa.

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